There are some really great real-time episodes ofTV showsfrom over the years. A real-time episode is quite self-explanatory: it’s an installment of a show with a story that follows a specific runtime. Some ofthe best TV shows of all timehave an episode like this, although the context often varies. Real-time TV episodes often follow a plot that sees characters rushing to save the day, for example, although this isn’t an exclusive rule.
Real-time episodes are an inventive and creative way for a show to mix things up.However, they are not the same asbottle episodes of TV shows, as real-time stories aren’t restricted to a particular setting, but rather a time frame instead. Of course, some of these examples aren’t exactly to the second, and viewers need to take into account editing processes and commercial breaks.
“Charlie Work” is one ofthe best episodes ofIt’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.The episode focuses on the titular character’s desperate attempts to get Paddy’s Pub up to standards for a health inspection, but the gang’s usual ridiculous escapades get in the way. The continuous scene follows Charlie rushing around the bar, hiding the many health and safety disasters that could award them with a low rating, and him fixing the gang’s mistakes as they try to run a scheme involving chickens and airline miles.
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This episode highlights how intelligent Charlie really is, despite the gang being unbothered about the lengths he goes to to keep their establishment open.“Charlie Work” has the same runtime as the averageIt’s Always Sunnyepisode, but watching these events pan out across roughly 25 minutes makes them feel even more stressful.However, there are still plenty of hilarious moments throughout, like Dee falling from the joke stool and Charlie trying not to lose his temper.
Friends
Cast
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
“The One Where No One’s Ready” is often consideredFriends’ simplest episode, which it is, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t an intriguing watch.The episode focuses on Ross’ attempts to get the rest of the gang ready for an evening at the museum, which naturally doesn’t go to plan. Despite “The One Where No One’s Ready” being set in one single location, Rachel and Monica’s apartment, there are many things that distract everyone from being ready.
Between Joey and Chandler’s arguments over a chair,Monica grieving her relationship with Richard, Phoebe’s wardrobe malfunctions, and Ross’ attitude towards Rachel, everything that can go wrong does.The countdown of 22 minutes, which Ross reminds everyone of at any given opportunity, makes things even tenser.However, this episode is one that makes audiences give up caring about Ross, mainly because everyone else’s subplots are far more interesting and funny.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the creative minds of Dan Goor and Michael Schur comes Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy series set in the NYPD’s fictional 99th precinct. Headed by the comedically serious Captain Raymond Holt and protagonist Jake Peralta, the detectives of the 99 deal with burglaries, drug deals, and oddities in New York City, occasionally steering into real-world issues surrounding police perception and social concerns in the 2010s and earlier. Each detective has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, creating endearing dynamics that helped the show thrive for eight seasons.
“Ticking Clocks” is abrilliantly powerful episode ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine, which takes place during a 21 and a half minute countdown.While the squad searches for a mysterious hacker attempting to gain access to a server full of top secret information, Hitchcock and Scully embark on a dramatic mission to buy and cook some garlic bread that will finish simultaneously with their lasagna. What works so well about this episode is that the countdown is set up by Hitchcock and Scully’s wild journey, and the threat of the hacker lines up with this coincidentally.
“Ticking Clocks” amazingly wraps up with Hitchcock and Scully eating their meal, finally, but it also demonstrates just how much can happen in such a short period of time.
“Ticking Clocks” stands out because of the unnerving timescale that the squad are working against, and as the episode progresses, the stakes are raised even more. Amy’s fear of missing out and Rosa’s collapsing relationship are both fantastic subplots,and while the hunt for the hacker is always at the forefront, they don’t distract from the main story at hand. “Ticking Clocks” amazingly wraps up with Hitchcock and Scully eating their meal, finally, but it also demonstrates just how much can happen in such a short period of time.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
“Conversations with Dead People” is a unique episode ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerfor several reasons.While it is told in real time, none of the main characters actually interact with one another in “Conversations with Dead People,” too, and it’sthe only episode ofBuffywithout Xander.The episode jumps between various interactions the characters have at several locations across Sunnydale, such as Buffy reuniting with a vampiric ex-classmate and Dawn exorcising a strange paranormal force she believes to be her late mother.
The title card outlines the numbers on the clock, which establishes the episode is set in real-time.However, the interactions each character has are so conversational and dialogue heavy that it feels like they’re actually panning out in front of viewers. There are plenty of emotional moments in “Conversations with Dead People,” too, like Willow speaking with a ghost of a girl who claims to have been sent by Tara. Their discussion about using magic and committing suicide is painful, but the slow pacing of this adds to the profoundness of the situation.
Doctor Who
An alien from the planet Gallifrey travels through time and space to explore, solve problems and fight injustice while also making friends with human beings. His spaceship, called TARDIS, resembles a police box, but it is much more than it appears to be.
“42” is one ofthe most underratedDoctor Whostories ever, which follows the Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones’ attempts to stop a passing spaceship from crashing into a nearby sun.The sun possesses various characters throughout and goes on a murderous rampage, which makes the 42-minute countdown even scarier. However, it’s not a simple fix. Martha and other crew members of the SS Pentallian need to unlock several doors to the manual controls, each of which are protected by questions from humanity’s history.
Of course, the concern of crashing into the fiery ball of fire in space is the main threat of the episode, but there is also the fear that the Doctor won’t survive the sun’s possession.
The discovery that the SS Pentallian are mining the sun for fuel makes things even more complicated,especially as the Doctor and Martha, one ofDoctor Who’s best and unappreciated companions, are unable to explain that the crew are now trying to leave without causing any further damage.
“Golden Hour” is a TV show episode that doesn’t get the attention it deserves and, overall, one of the mostunderrated episodes ofGrey’s Anatomy.The episode takes place during the titular time period, between the hours of 6 and 7pm, and focuses on Meredith’s dreams of becoming Chief Resident. Meredith’s monologue about all the things that can happen during the golden hour is rather deep, but it makes her mission in running the ER that much more interesting.
“Golden Hour” allows Meredith to prove herself as a medical professional, and in a way, it serves as her unofficial interview for the position.However, there are plenty of other dramatics throughout, each of which reminds audiences of the clicking clock, like Bailey sneaking up with Eli and Adele’s sudden arrival. Interestingly, the average episode ofGrey’s Anatomyis less than an hour, although the few flashback scenes that are littered throughout make up the gaps in the runtime.
MAS*H
MAS*H is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.
MASH’s “Life Time” gives the characters exactly 20 minutes to save a life, which is a drastic way to set up an episode that takes place in real time.The sudden arrival of a wounded soldier interrupts Hawkeye’s card game, and in a rush, the gang jumps to perform surgery that will hopefully save the life of the injured man. The fear that the operation will kill or paralyze the soldier, despite Hawkeye being an expert ofMASH’s Meatball surgery, lurks within every character.
Unlike other real-time episodes of TV shows,MASH’s “Life Time” actually includes a ticking clock in the corner of the screen from the moment they realize that the soldier’s blood is cut off from the spinal cord.The 20-minute timer quickly begins as the gang gets to work, as at the end of the countdown, it’s more than likely that the soldier will enter renal failure or already be paralyzed. This is an incredibly profound episode ofMASH, but it most importantly demonstrates just how crucial the term “a matter of life and death” actually is.
Stargate Atlantis
Part of the Stargate franchise, Stargate Atlantis is a Sci-Fi series created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper. Starring Joe Flanigan, Rachel Luttrell, Rainbow Sun Francks, and Torri Higginson, the plot follows a group stationed at a previously discovered outpost crafted by ancient aliens.
Stargate Atlantis’ “Thirty-Eight Minutes” is the only installment of the show that actually follows real time, at least for the entirety of an episode.The episode’s name refers to the amount of time a Stargate can remain open, but when a puddle jumper gets stuck in the portal, a 38-minute countdown starts and leaves everyone to desperately try and figure out a solution. While the reason for the timing of this episode is simple, it’s still a great way to demonstrate how detrimental it is for the crew to fix the issue.
The search to find a way to save John Sheppard’s life, after a strange alien bug attaches itself to him, is another high-stakes moment in “Thirty-Eight Minutes,” too.
However, there is another problem that makes the countdown even more dramatic.The search to find a way to save John Sheppard’s life, after a strange alien bug attaches itself to him, is another high-stakes moment in “Thirty-Eight Minutes,” too. While this works as a brilliant standalone episode, it also provides more context andStargate Atlantislore. With everyone’s lives at risk and not one, but two, huge threats to face, “Thirty-Eight Minutes” is a fantastic real-time episode of TV.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an animated series set in the fictional town of Springfield, following the daily lives of the Simpson family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Premiering in 1989, the show is renowned for its satirical commentary on politics, media, and American culture, featuring numerous celebrity guest appearances.
The Simpsonsoften parodies popular TV shows, and the episode “24 Minutes” hilariously mocks Jack Bauer in24. “24 Minutes” borrows from24’s tense and action-driven format and follows several different subplots throughout, like Bart’s attempts to stop a powerful stink bomb and Marge rushing to bake something for the school bake sale.This episode also includes a crossover with some members of the24cast, with the likes of Keifer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub reprising their respective roles.
The way these parts of the story interlink with one another stays true to24, but ensures that it is still full of the classic humorThe Simpsonsis best known for.For example, despite the title, Marge is facing a 27-minute countdown, rather than 24. “24 Minutes” also replicates24’s iconic split screens, visible timer, and extended opening credits, too.Funnily enough, this episode is actually 21 minutes long, but with the commercial breaks taken into account, the title actually reflects the runtime of “24 Minutes.”
Frasier
Fraiser is a comedy-drama sitcom that stars Kelsey Grammer as a psychiatrist who takes up the role of a radio show host in Seattle after his life in Boston is upheaved. A spin-off of the series Cheers, Fraiser follows the titular character adjusting to the single life while caring for his father (a retired police officer,) his brother, and other eccentric co-workers.
The entirety of this episode takes place at Café Nervosa,Frasier’s iconic coffee chain, but the qualms that arise throughout are linked to all manner of characters and contexts. Frasier and Niles forget Martin’s birthday the week before, Frasier’s standards for coffee are higher than ever, and the question “Are you happy?” is constantly lingering. There’s also a brilliantly funny fourth-wall-breaking moment that jokes about David Hyde Pierce being gay, too. While the countdown isn’t as detrimental in this real-timeTV showepisode as in others, it’s still an intriguing format for such an installment ofFrasier.
